Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi

Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi is a Nigerian political scientist and former Minister of External Affairs (1985–1987). He earned his doctorate from Oxford in 1969 and has taught at Northeastern University, DePauw University, Kalamazoo College, the University of Ibadan and the University of Lagos.

The Institute years

As Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, he organised landmark multilateral dialogues with the United States, the Soviet Union, China, Scandinavia and Brazil, and discussions on North–South relations — establishing Nigeria as a serious voice in global affairs.

As Foreign Minister

He negotiated ceasefire agreements in the Chad–Libya and Mali–Burkina Faso conflicts, pioneered the “Concert of Medium Powers” concept, and established the Technical Aid Corps scheme — sending Nigerian professionals to serve across Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

Scholarship & today

A Fellow in International Relations at Cambridge’s Centre for International Studies and a Life Member of Clare Hall, he is a prolific writer and a consistent advocate of democracy and freedom of expression as foundations for national development. Each week he brings that lens to thruMYeyes.